Page 21 of Eagle
I stared at her in bewilderment for a second, slowly digesting what she’d said. She was right. I wasn’t stupid, but I’d been so focused on protecting Ron from the wrath of the bikers that I hadn’t given a thought to what could have happened if the police had been involved. He’d been involved in a hit and run and would have been arrested, charged, and possibly thrown in jail. Then there would have been the aftermath, which would have involved lawyers and court dates. I knew that Ron couldn’t have afforded a lawyer...I shook my head with embarrassment over the thoughts that were running through my head.
God, why hadn’t I considered all that before? Maybe the Soldiers were doing Ron a favor by handing out their own brand of punishment.
“I’m so embarrassed,” I said after a while. “I didn’t even think about that. And knowing my brother, he didn’t either.” I sighed heavily, suddenly feeling deflated. “What did they do to him?”
“I can’t say. Eagle sent me to bring you out for something to eat.”
“How considerate of him.”
Ella laughed. “I can see that you two rub each other the wrong way.”
My mind immediately went to our hot make out session, but I quickly pushed it down.
“It took me time to understand the complexity of the club, too,” Ella told me. “But believe me when I say, Leona, they are good men.”
She was obviously biased. “I’ll let you know if I agree with you after I see Ron.”
“Come on, let’s go eat something. The more you’re around us, the more you’ll understand.”
I didn’t plan on being around any longer than I had to, but I refrained from speaking my mind. She was trying to be nice. I followed Ella back out into the main room and noticed several people sitting and eating in small groups. Three women stood out. They were sitting at one table, and I could tell by their skimpy attire, teased hair, and heavy makeup that there was something different about them. All three kept their eyes on me as I followed Ella directly into the kitchen.
“Who were those women out there?” I asked as we ended up at a counter where sandwich items had been set up like a mini buffet.
Ella laughed. “Everyone notices the sweet tarts.” She picked up a paper plate and began gathering items for a sandwich. “Help yourself to whatever you want.”
“Sweet tarts?” After checking out what was available, I opted to make a turkey and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
Again, Ella laughed and glanced at me. “Ginger, Jezzie, and Hannah. They’re club girls,” she began to explain. “They’re the, ah, entertainment for the men,” she said with a knowing smirk.
For a minute I focused on making my sandwich, considering all of the things that could imply. The women looked like sluts, and it didn’t take a genius to understand what their role was in the club. “Entertainment for all the men?”
Ella nodded. “If they want it. The girls are here to keep them happy in any capacity they’re needed. And believe me, they like what they do.” She stopped and turned to me. “I had a challenging time with it in the beginning. Ginger was always causing trouble and trying to get her hands on Wolfe. They’re here to have sex with the guys, but their ultimate goal is to become an old lady. Wolfe had to set her straight that we were together. Now she focusses her attention on someone else.”
I shook my head at the information dump and tried to make sense of it all. I had so many questions, but I reminded myself why I was at the club. “When will I get to see my brother?” I needed to see for myself that he was going to be okay. I followed Ella out to the bar, wondering if she was going to answer me. We headed for the table that Val and Bear were sitting at.
I looked around for Eagle, but he was nowhere in sight.
“If you’re looking for your brother, he’s in the infirmary.” I raised my brows at Bear’s comment and sat down. “He’s gonna be sore for a few days, but he’ll be okay.” He took a huge bite out of his sandwich. “Think the money he owes is gonna hurt him more.”
I sat opposite Bear, between Val and Ella. “Does your club solve all their grievances with violence?”
“When necessary, fuck yeah.”
I started at how close Eagle’s voice was next to my ear, and I swung around and gasped when our lips nearly collided. With a smirk he straightened and moved away. My immediate attraction to him pissed me off. I covered it up by demanding, “I want to see Ron.” The eyes he narrowed on me were anything but friendly, and I felt a moment of unease.
“Maybe you should fucking watch how you ask me.”
Ugh! The man was infuriating! Bear grinned while chewing a mouthful, while Ella and Val remained silent. With mounting frustration and overwhelming helplessness, I watched Eagle disappear into the kitchen. I took a bite of my sandwich to keep from saying something stupid, but more than anything I wanted to cry. The situation was beginning to engulf me. As if sensing my inner turmoil, Ella reached over and patted my knee. It was all I could do to toss her a small smile of gratitude for her intuition.
Bear stuffed the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and suddenly stood up. “Gotta get to the office, Babe.” He gave Val a brief smack and left in a hurry.
I turned to Val. “Office?” He didn’t look like someone heading off to an office job.
She smiled and pushed her empty plate away. “He and Knuckles run the office up front for the salvation yard.”
I nodded, then watched one of the sweet tarts get up from her table and head to the kitchen. She was beautiful. Her makeup was as flawless as her body, which was on display in her tiny, clinging, black, slip-like dress. I suspected that her mass of wild blond hair wasn’t her natural color, and the most startling violet eyes I’d ever seen glanced at me as she walked past our table. They were exotic and unusual.
“Ginger has her violet contacts in, looks like she’s on the prowl,” Val quipped with amusement as her gaze followed the other woman. She turned to me. “She’s wasting her time if she’s set her sights on Eagle. He might sleep with her, but his heart is on someone else.”